School's Natural Hair Ban Sparks National Debate

I first came across something like this in South Africa from a vid and was taken aback, like really in a nation of predominately Black ppl women can't be natural in that one particular school, little did I know a couple of wks later I'd be viewing something like this in an American school, administered by AAs with predominantly AA student body , hair is a big culture thing in AA communities to the point of pitting hair types against one another, with this stuff about good or bad hair which is quite telling in of it self, for WTH is bad hair??, yes to most non blacks it seems silly but it have deep dark roots..pun intended dealing with identity and negative or positive self image.
I have dread locs some friends are a little jelly because I can wear or chop it off at will, it's my choice and my choice alone what I choose to with it, but they are quick to reply..yes but you are not corporate , you are your own boss and can dictate your own code or extend that to people you employ..point taken.

And I thought about it for a second, realize some sort of power dynamic is at play here, not just grooming practice and everything can be arbitrary it all depends on where one draws the line, in that school in South Africa the Black student are required to straightened their hair , which is ridiculous and I ain't no hairdresser but all those chemicals have got to cause some damage eventually.
My youngest daughter went through kindergarten and high school in very conformist Japan without a problem came home with very good grades loved by all, she just had them cut because she wanted a new look after turning 18 but a "non conformist" school district in America have a problem??

CONFORM!
YOU MUST ALL BE THE SAME!!
Seriously, this is just nuts. The drive to make everyone fit the same mold is insane. They seem to be trying to drive the expression of individuality out of people and what better way to start than with kids. Train them young and they'll grow up to be nice, compliant adults.
Don't have a different hair style or hair color or length or.....just.....don't be different.

a reply to: Spider879
The world has done went coo-coo, cuckoo, loco for Coco Puffs...

TPTB have us right where they want us.

Did I miss something in this story?
Are dreadlocks or"cornrolls" natural?

Don't miss understand me, I think the school was being stupid, but I doubt they were being racist.

a reply to: Bluntone22

They are ways to style unprocessed (by heat/chemicals, therefore natural) hair. Like a ponytail or a braid.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
Did I miss something in this story?
Are dreadlocks or"cornrolls" natural?

Don't miss understand me, I think the school was being stupid, but I doubt they were being racist.

Well it's a natural style in that doesn't require chemical straighteners, and while it concern issues of "race" in the case of the American school it have more to do with identity as both protagonist and antagonist are predominantly AAs , the South African case I don't know who set those rules in post apartheid era.

I was suspended numerous times in Secondary School (high school) for getting a Skinhead.

It was Catholic school so their rules were different from most others.



Is this something like that?

The policy clearly was offensive all around for several groups the most obvious being black kids. But why is it suddenly wrong again for boys to have long hair? Dress codes and now hair codes? We're supposed to be getting less conformist, not more.

I would be quite annoyed if there were no restrictions on white kids. But they can't just have any hairstyle and also must conform by having a 'sanctioned' style. Every week there is a 'sad' looking estate mum whose kid can't have a mohecan or a hipster style, others are about girls who can't dye their hair an 'outrageous' colour, not even Henna.
Is it the same in America? Or are white kids allowed to do what they want with their hair?
I'm seriously asking.
To me a 'natural' Afro if just loose may be a non fitting style. Unless it is short.

a reply to: Kali74

It's because some of the images people see of young black males with dreadlocks are those related to gang, illegal or criminal activity. Now, if you have those locks or corn-rolls, your assumed to have some kind of affiliation with illicit activities.

It's a dress code. You don't dress in a manner I approve of, so i'm going to ban or prevent you from dressing (expressing) yourself in a way that your comfortable with.

I agree that a power dynamic is at play. In a situation like this, it's obvious to me that a white authority (whether or not the principle is black) is doing everything possible to hold onto its perceived authority and power by dictating how children can wear heir hair. How lame. You can bet the people who are "distracted" by someone with dreadlocks or an afro are the staff, and not other students.

I'm glad to see that the school changed their policy to state that "Hair must be well-groomed, well-kept, at an a reasonable length".

The old (and some current) school policy seems to discriminate against boys as much as against blacks. How is it that long hair (or braids) on a boy is more distracting than long hair (or braids) on a girl? Are we really still this biased? And while I'm at it, why can girls wear pants, but boys can't wear dresses or skirts?

Telling school children how to dress and wear their hair just enforces the idea that children are to conform to a certain, socially acceptable "norm", so they can be indoctrinated by whatever information the school drills into them. I understand dress and appearance codes, but schools take it WAY too far, IMO.

Once again, I'm glad I don't have kids. This country doesn't treat them with any respect.

When I was in school, boys' hair had to be off the ears and off the collar.
It's part of a dress code

originally posted by: Hecate666
I would be quite annoyed if there were no restrictions on white kids. But they can't just have any hairstyle and also must conform by having a 'sanctioned' style. Every week there is a 'sad' looking estate mum whose kid can't have a mohecan or a hipster style, others are about girls who can't dye their hair an 'outrageous' colour, not even Henna.
Is it the same in America? Or are white kids allowed to do what they want with their hair?
I'm seriously asking.
To me a 'natural' Afro if just loose may be a non fitting style. Unless it is short.

It might depend on the school district and I am reasonably certain in that school whites kids would have problem with school authority if it seem out of line.

a reply to: cenpuppie

Well guilt by association is another thing that just needs to fking stop. That goes beyond dress and hair codes.

I read this through the fingers of a double face palm.

If the world weren't so F#d up in every way imaginable right now, I'd call it a hoax.

Where's the reset button?

a reply to: Kali74

Guilt by association is 'Murica's MO.

2nd line

I´ll get to this from another angle, completely unattached to what is the case above. Mind you I don´t defend discrimination, rules should be the same for everyone and rules should make sense and benefit a cause.

I´ll say it like this: If you´re in the cinema, one of the most annoying things is, when you can´t see sh** because the person in front of you has decided to style their hair (mostly females) to a big tower or blob. Imagine that in school, where you have to see the board in front of the classroom and can´t just switch places. Let´s bring some sense into this.. Schools are places to learn, not to look good. Sit those who hold their look over the value of the greater good into the back of the class so others can see. But then, I bet it would be discrimination for some.

Should we ban big hairtowers and blobs in cinemas? No. But in schools, where kids have to go by law, the value of learning should be hold higher than having the right to unusual hairstyles. That´s one reason why hats are not allowed in our schools. Sometimes, there are circumstances in live, that can´t be judged black and white.

originally posted by: Hecate666

Is it the same in America? Or are white kids allowed to do what they want with their hair?

Well my daughter was sent home yesterday for dying her dark brown hair red, so no, white kids don't get to do whatever they want with their hair... at least not where I live.

Yeah same here my school didn't allow mohicans or the like and that was the 1980's and most schools were the same.

This is the same issue as being required to wear a school uniform as stated above it's about the schools image as a place of learning not a fashion show.